


Head Canon and Ficlets for White Collar Characters

by elrhiarhodan



Category: White Collar
Genre: Backstory, F/F, F/M, Ficlet, Gen, head canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 23:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 5,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2790881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrhiarhodan/pseuds/elrhiarhodan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Urban Dictionary defined "head canon" as idea or opinion about a fictional series (Book, TV, Comic, or otherwise) that is true in one's head, but has not become a canon fact. </p><p>A few weeks ago, in an attempt to fight off both a cold and the blahs, I ask friends to pick a White Collar character and I'd give them my head canon for that character, plus a tiny ficlet.  </p><p>Please note, there are spoilers in these ficlets for all aired episodes (up to S6.05).  Also, please pay attention to the chapter titles - there are warnings therein.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kanarek13 asked for head canon for Neal Caffrey

1 – In the dark hours of the night, Neal regrets many of his life choices. He likes to think he'd have been as good or an even better FBI agent than Peter, but he'd die before admitting that.

2 – Neal got his high school diploma when he was in prison. Since he's been out, he's gotten at least one bachelor's degree from reputable on-line programs. One is in finance and the other is in art history.

3 – Neal is allergic to cats. Which is a problem, since he turns into a cat at least two or three times a month.

* * *

Neal looked through the course catalog and fretted – he could take "Hagiography in Byzantine Frescos" or "Advanced Accounting Principles". The former would be fun and he'd spent enough time in Istanbul to wax both poetic and authentic on the subject, but the latter would be a lot more useful – and would impress the hell out of Peter. One click later and he'd signed up for ten weeks of number crunching and sighed. 

If only Peter's approval didn't matter so much to him.


	2. Riverotter1951 asked for head canon for June Ellington

1 – June was sixteen when she met Byron. They eloped on her seventeen birthday. Her mother never talked to her again.

2 – June sang "Stormy Weather" at performance at the White House in 1962. It was the proudest moment of her life, until she gave birth to her first child.

3 – June occasionally thinks about evicting Neal. She'd just not too fond of some of his late night visitors. At first, she didn't like the FBI agents coming and going, but lately, there are too many strange men with hard eyes and English accents.

* * *

June as pissed and she didn't even knock before bursting into the fourth floor apartment. "Neal, we need to talk."

Maybe she should have knocked, because Neal looked like utter crap – scared and miserable. And his emergency bag was on the table and ready to go. "I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen – to put you in this position. I'd say that I'll be in touch, but we both know that that won't happen."

Her anger deflated, replaced by a terrible, wrenching grief. "It's just that I'm worried about my girls. If it was just me, I could take care of myself, but my granddaughters know nothing about this life. I can't keep letting you bring danger into this house."


	3. Joy2190 asked for head canon for Peter Burke

1 – Peter had the best childhood ever. His father worked in construction, but he was never too tired to play ball or teach Peter about the constellations or how to tie a knot.

2 – Peter may make terrible pot roast, but he can bake. He dreams about buying into The Greatest Cake when he retires from the FBI.

3 – He hopes El is pregnant with a girl. He figures he'll have the best of everything – he can spoil her rotten and teach her how to play ice hockey and baseball. Because he knows that girls rule the world.

* * *

Trust Neal to give her daughter art supplies for her third birthday, but at least they were non-toxic and perfectly safe for a child who was firmly in the oral fixation stage of development. 

Mozzie's set of starter lock picks was also child safe – and that completely baffled her. They worked, but they were also soft and flexible and could not be swallowed or used to poke out an eye.

It was Peter's obscenely large pile of gifts to his daughter that made Elizabeth want to tear her hair out. There was a pair of ice hockey skates and a pair figure skating blades – both sized for a toddler and both would be outgrown in just a few months. The baseball glove as big as her daughter's head. The baseball bat she wouldn't be strong enough to lift without killing anyone for another two years. The soccer ball. The basketball. Not to mention the soccer net and the basketball hoop he'd set up in their tiny back yard. There were also uniforms for each sport. And let's not forget the complete set of Disney Princess outfits and all of the matching DVDs. 

Elizabeth hoped her husband was joking about the pony, but she suspected he wasn't.


	4. NYWCGirl asked head canon for Vincent Adler

1 – Vincent Adler was nothing like Bernie Madoff. He wasn't a Ponzi schemer, using one investor's money to pay off another investor. His financial empire was real; he just looted it to fund his obsession.

2 – Kate Moreau was Adler's niece. He regretted hiring her but his sister would have made his life a living hell if he didn't.

3 – He was really quite sorry that he had to cut Neal Caffrey loose. He was brilliant and so perfectly obedient. He could have gotten Neal to get him the music box without all the hassle he ultimately went through.

* * *

In hindsight, letting Nick Halden – no, excuse me – Neal Caffrey slip through his fingers was a mistake. He knew who the boy was before he'd hired him – a small time grafter with big plans for his money (and his pretty and too-useless assistant). He should have kept Neal close and used him to get what he needed – that damn music box. The only problem was Neal's baggage, that strange little man who was following Neal like a bad smell.

He probably should have had the man killed. It would have made things so much simpler.


	5. Sapphire2390 asked for head canon for Sara Ellis (Trigger Warning for Eating Disorder)

1 – Sara had an eating disorder. She was anorexic and bulimic from the time she was in high school through her early college years. Her sister's disappearance triggered it and her parents' death made it worse. She nearly died in her junior year.

2 – Sara loves Neal. She might make jokes and pretend, but she loves him like she loved no one else. She really wished that proposal was real.

3 – Sara was pregnant when she left New York. She didn't know about it and she never told Neal until after the baby was born.

* * *

The results of the fourth test were as unambiguous as the first one she'd pee'd on. The strip actually said "YOU ARE PREGNANT". Sara knew that she had options but there was one option she didn't have. She couldn't tell Neal. He'd move heaven and earth to be at her side, but that was impossible right now. Peter was still in jail, pending the indictment for Pratt's murder, and Neal was doing everything he could, short of an actual jail break, to get Peter out.

Sara told herself that he didn't need the distraction. But in her heart, she was afraid that Neal wouldn't come. Besides, she was still in her first trimester – there were no guarantees.


	6. Teaboyfan asked for head canon for Bugsy

1 – Bugsy never wishes he was a bigger dog. Bigger dogs have bigger problems. And their poops are enormous. 

2 – Bugsy doesn't really like Neal. He'd pee in Neal's hat if he could.

3 – Bugsy loves Mozzie. Mozzie gives him bacon.

* * *

Bugsy doesn't like Neal. 

But Mommy June likes Neal so he tolerates him for her sake. In his dreams, he imagines biting Neal in his tender parts, or doing the nasty things in his hat or on his bed. Why doesn't he like Neal? Because Neal turns into a cat sometimes. A really big cat with huge claws and sharp teeth and he's at least three times bigger than Bugsy. Not that Neal's ever bitten Bugsy or scratched him or even taken one of Bugsy's toys. It's the principle of the thing. He's a dog. Neal's a cat. Bugsy's supposed to hate him.


	7. Pooh_collector asked for head canon for Matthew Keller

1 – Matthew Keller had nothing but contempt for Kate. He wouldn't have given her a second glance if it wasn't for Neal.

2 – There are few people in the world that he truly admires, and you'd have to pull out all his teeth before he'd admit it, but Peter Burke is one of them.

3 – Matthew Keller knows he's a sociopath. It doesn't bother him in the least.

* * *

The first time he met Peter Burke face-to-face, he was struck by two things – the man had terrific taste in ties and he was deeply protective of Neal Caffrey. He was wrong about the tie – it was obviously one of Neal's (and the boy still had expensive tastes). But he wasn't wrong about Burke's feelings for Neal. That both troubled him and pleased him. Someone needed to look out for Neal, who had the impulse control of a three year old. But that someone wasn't supposed to be an FBI agent.

He made a point of studying up on Neal's pet Fed and the more he learned, the more his troubled admiration grew. He was going to have to do something about Special Agent Peter Burke, and soon. The last thing he wanted was for Neal to fall in love with the man.


	8. Scarym1 asked for head canon for Clinton Jones

1 – Clinton Jones went to Annapolis to piss off his father, who was part of a long line of West Point graduates. He turned down an offer from the Justice Department and went into the FBI because he didn't approve of the Bush Administration's focus on "voter fraud". But that's as political as he gets.

2 – Clinton deeply admires Neal and wishes he could be a little more like him – at least sartorially. And with women. But he pities Neal, too. The man just keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.

3 – Clinton will deny it until he's dead and buried, but he loves chick flicks and his favorite is the original Steel Magnolias. A close second is The Joy Luck Club. Anything that brings the tears.

* * *

"So, you busy tonight?" Clinton tried to be casual and knew he was failing miserably. Dealing with Neal professionally was not a problem, but personally was a whole other story. They guy had been with the team for about six months now and Clinton still didn't quite know what to make of the man.

Neal shrugged. "No plans, why?"

"I've done something really stupid. I signed up for this speed dating thing via Groupon and I've got an extra ticket for the thing. Any chance you'd be interested in ... dunno, giving a guy some pointers? Being a wing man." Clinton winced – what woman would be interested in him with Neal Caffrey at his shoulder?

Before he could say never mind and withdraw the offer, Neal accepted. He was grinning from ear to ear, and not that con man's smile. This one was pretty damn genuine, or at least it seemed that way to Clinton. 

And then he thought about it, unless Neal was hanging with Peter or that weird little guy, he really didn't have any friends.

So he added, just to put the icing on the cake, "The place is all the way downtown – well out of your radius, but I'll clear it with Peter."

If anything, Neal's smile got bigger and brighter and Clinton sort of felt like Santa Claus.


	9. Doctor_Fangeek asked for head canon  for Diana Berrigan

1 – Diana speaks as many languages as Neal. She just doesn't like to show off.

2 – Diana has an excellent relationship with her mother, except that her mother keeps trying to marry her off to every lesbian she knows. Getting pregnant has done nothing to get her mother to stop.

3 – If Diana was to sleep with a guy, it would actually be Clinton. She's not attracted to him, but if push came to shove, she'd do him. And he might even enjoy it.

* * *

(Set pre-series)

It was Friday night, and Diana wasn't all that interested in going home to an empty apartment. She lingered at her desk and told herself that a good probationary agent doesn't leave until her supervisor goes home. Except that Agent Burke wasn't in the office. He was out chasing Neal Caffrey – who'd been spotted in Portland, Maine, of all places. Diana figured it was a wild goose chase and Agent Burke would at least get a good lobster dinner out of the trip.

"Wanna go for a drink?" Agent Jones was standing by her desk, a hopeful look on his face. 

Diana had done her homework on every agent in the division – Jones was a real up-and-comer – Annapolis, six years in the submarine service, then Harvard – and on his own dime. He turned down offers from the Justice Department and was top of his class at Quantico. A month after finishing his probationary assignment, he talked his way onto Peter Burke's White Collar task force. He was one of those guys you knew you could trust with your life and your virtue.

In other words, he was her mother's (and probably every mother's) wet dream fantasy of a potential son-in-law.

Diana didn't answer right away and Jones held up a hand, forestalling her refusal. "Just a drink between colleagues – we can even go to Henrietta Hudson* if you want."

"Okay, but I'm buying and if you hold the door for me, you'll live to regret it."

*[Henrietta Hudson](http://henriettahudson.com) is a very prominent lesbian bar and hangout in the West Village.


	10. Lumosed_Quill asked for head canon for Matthew Keller (Warning for child abuse, sexual abuse, murder)

1 – Matthew Keller grew up in the streets. His mother died when he was seven and his father was an alcoholic who thought nothing of slapping him around. Matthew learned early on that having any emotions was a weakness that would get you a punch in the face.

2 – The first man that Keller killed was the priest who taught him how to play chess when he was nine and raped him when he was eleven. Matthew waited for five years before he took the man's life. He knifed him in the balls and cut off his dick after they had sex for the last time.

3 – Neal Caffrey is the only person Keller has ever loved. No, he doesn't know how to love, so Neal Caffrey's the only person he ever cared about. When Neal left him, Keller went a little crazy.

* * *

He knew if he said, "stop," or "you're hurting me," or "I don't want this," Father Michael would only make it worse. At least he used Vaseline this time so he wouldn't shit blood so bad. As the priest pounded into him, Matthew closed his eyes and visualized all the steps he'd need to take to end this – to end the misery. And to cause this bastard in a dog collar the most pain possible. He had no mates to call on to help him, and he certainly couldn't tell his da, who'd just as soon as take a fist to his face than listen to him whine about what their parish priest did to him after Sunday mass.

He'd get a knife and he'd slice the fucker's balls off. Then his cock. And while he bled out, he'd watch. He'd stand over the priest with his knife dripping blood and he'd watch him die. And then he'd walk away and never, ever come back.


	11. Reve_Silencieux asked for head canon for Alex Hunter

1 – Alex Hunter never actually believed her grandfather's stories about the music box and some incredible treasure. But she had to look for it – just because she loved her grandfather and she wanted to make him happy.

2 – Alex wasn't exactly in love with Neal. It was more a case of "I could be happy with you if you don't get in my way". His longing for Kate, however, caused her rather inexplicable pain.

3 – Neal's defection to the Fed was something she probably should have predicted. He was too soft, too unwilling to make the really hard choices. Neal Caffrey never killed anyone.

* * *

"She doesn't love you, Neal. She barely understands you." Alex didn't know why the hell she was having this argument. It wasn't as if she was jealous of that twit, Kate.

"Alex – you don't know her." Neal got that truculent little boy look that both irritated and aroused her.

"I might not have met her, but I've spent too many nights watching you get drunk and mourning the Great Kate Moreau. She walked out on you, Neal. She's refused to get in touch with you. Not matter what you steal, what feats of derring-do you perform, she's never coming back. She's not like us."

Neal shook his head and refused to listen. But at least he came back to bed. That's all that mattered.


	12. Sandy79 asked for head canon for Mozzie

1 – Mozzie is allergic to cats. Every time Neal turns into one, he has an asthma attack. The first time it happened, Moz nearly died. He still holds that over Neal's head.

2 – Moz is NOT lactose intolerant. He only says that to drive the Suit crazy. it works.

3 – Moz doesn't know what he'd do if the parents of "Theodore Winters" ever showed up. On one hand, he's always longed for the family he never had, but on the other, he can't help but resent the people who left him on the doorstep of an orphanage.

* * *

For nearly forty years, like a patient hunter, Moz has been tending all of the little traps he's baited. A succulent bit of information here, another tasty bit there. If someone was looking for a little boy named Theodore Winters, a little boy who was left on the steps of an orphanage with nothing more than a pair of glasses and an expensive teddy bear, they'd spring those traps and the Moz would spring into action.

Or not.

He wasn't a man who forgave betrayal easily. And that was the first and worst betrayal of all. To just dump him, no note, no name, no nothing. Moz would look at that teddy bear and think, "someone once loved me." But he couldn't understand why they stopped loving him. Was he so terrible an infant? Did he cry too loudly? Was he fussy about his food?

He wanted to know the answer, but he was too afraid to ask the question.


	13. Ultracape asked for head canon for Reese Hughes

1 – Reese Hughes has no family. Either he never married or he's been divorced for a very long time. Wait, he does have family – it's just not the family he ever expected to have.

2 – His retirement was not really a retirement – at least the first time. He was called back into active service with the NSA.

3 – Hughes has worked with many agents over his long career, and Peter Burke might be the best of them. And he was never so proud of the man as when he heard that he'd shot Garrett Fowler.

* * *

When his wife walked out, nearly twenty years ago, she'd told him that unless he learned to give a little, lighten up, be less grim and intolerant of other peoples weaknesses, he'd die a lonely man. He never forgot her words and no matter how hard he tried, he could never be anything but who he was. Grim, serious, focuses. 

Of course he'd dated, but he couldn't connect with anyone. As the years passed, he eventually stopped trying. He wasn't Peter Burke, who seemed to effortlessly draw people to him, who could talk to people and make them feel like they were the only ones in the universe – if just for the space of a few minutes.

But fate, genetics, and pure dumb luck dropped something in his lap. Something so wonderful that his heart still skipped a beat whenever he thought about it.

He had a brother, and of all ironies, he was a criminal of the very clever and very unrepentant sort. But that was okay. He had family.


	14. Maiac asked for head canon for Diana Berrigan

1 – Diana will be sorry when Neal's released from his commitment to the FBI. She has way too much fun terrorizing him.

2 – She really hopes that Mozzie will stick around, even if Neal's off to parts unknown. He's the best nanny a mother could want.

3 – Occasionally, Diana regrets no continuing her career in the State Department. Like once every three or four years.

* * *

It was Tuesday, and Mozzie arrived at 7:15 AM, like he did every Tuesday. He had his messenger satchel on and there was something all too familiar poking out. The ear of a an ancient stuffed teddy bear.

She supposed that she should object to Moz bringing the toy with him for Theo to play with. While it was probably clean and well cared for, it was worn and more than slightly disreputable – like its owner. And it wasn't as if Theo didn't have a room filled with stuffed animals. But her toddler seemed to be fixated on Mozart and Mozzie was willing to let him play with it. 

One afternoon, she'd come home a little early and listened to Moz tell her sleepy little man all about the adventures of Mozart the Bear and his journeys around the world – all the famous people he'd met, all the wonders he had seen. And her heart broke when Moz ended the tale with this:

_Mozart the Bear searched and searched, he searched high and he searched low, but he never found the one thing that would make his life complete – his family._


	15. Sherylyn asked for head canon for Lauren Cruz

1 – Lauren really didn't dislike Neal. Actually, she kind of admired him. But she'd sooner have dental surgery without anesthesia before admitting that.

2 – Lauren was in the Marines. She did two tours in Afghanistan before joining the FBI. She was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

3 – Her departure from the White Collar unit in New York had nothing to do with the return of Diana Berrigan. She had an offer from Organized Crime in Miami that was too good to turn down.

* * *

She doesn't have nightmares all that often anymore. In fact, the last time she dreamed about what happened on that road between Kandahar and Kabul, she'd been a probie fresh out of Quantico and assigned to the Milwaukee field office. 

But last night, she dreamed about the IED and her convoy getting attacked and her unit under fire. She dreamed about Mac getting his face blown off, Rogers losing both his legs and Sal's head going missing. She woke up drenched in sweat and her hands clutching her belly as if her guts were about to fall out. She'd been afraid to look, afraid to see all of the blood pouring between her fingers.

But reason soon replaced irrational fear and she let go of herself and turned on the light. The light in her bedroom in her new apartment in New York. Today she was a newly assigned member of the White Collar division, about to work for the one agent she admired more than anyone.

Today, she was alive.


	16. Sheenianni asked for head canon for David Siegel

1 – David Siegel knew he wanted to be an FBI agent the first time he saw an episode of the X-Files. He knew, intellectually, that the FBI was nothing like what he saw on television, but it had a hold on him that he couldn't break.

2 – His ex-wife cheated on him with his brother and his father. Quite possibly on the same night.

3 – He liked Neal Caffrey but really could never understand just what Peter Burke saw in the guy. He thought that Neal was nothing more that charm and smiles in a good suit, susceptible to flattery and a good backstory. But he was willing to use Neal if it meant moving up the ladder.

* * *

Caffrey was so predictable, it wasn't even funny. A slightly tragic backstory, evidence of family wealth, a hint of camaraderie, and David had him eating out of his hand.

Yes, he liked Caffrey because Caffrey was a likeable guy. Con men had to be likeable if they were going to be successful. Caffrey was nothing more than that, a likeable and good looking con man. Peter Burke said he was smart, but so far, David had seen little evidence of that.

David Siegel just couldn't see what Agent Burke saw in Caffrey. He couldn't, for the life of him, see someone who could be trusted with the important things – like friendship and loyalty and respect. 

Caffrey was nothing more than a con man and he'd been running a good game on this FBI office for over three years. David was looking forward to tearing away the façade and showing everyone in the White Collar division just what their pet CI was really made of.


	17. Theatregirl7299 asked for head canon for Curtis Hagen

1 – Curtis Hagen had been tracking Neal Caffrey's career for a very long time. He admired him. He'd even thought about recruiting him for the Spanish Victory Bond forgeries, but the boy was still in jail and he had a timeline.

2 – Hagen never trusted Rachel Turner. Only a fool would trust a woman, but he appreciated her deep, deep levels of deviousness.

3 – Hagen had first heard about the Pink Panthers when he was in art school and he'd thought they were just a criminal version of an urban legend. It was only when he was in prison that he discovered that they were, in fact, real. Getting the diamond would be his entrée into a world of crime and wealth he had only dreamed of before.

* * *

Shit, what the fuck was Neal Caffrey doing in _his_ church, looking at _his_ restoration work? With a Fed, of all things?

He'd known about Neal Caffrey's spectacular abilities for quite some time. The Vinland Map, a set of Renaissance bronze medallions that turned out to be nothing more than foil-wrapped chocolate. A stolen Raphael. Bonds. Stamps. Iraqi dinars. Stuff of legend. Stuff that far outclassed his own meager efforts. He'd even considered recruiting Caffrey for the Victory Bond work, but Caffrey was – or so he'd thought – in prison.

Apparently not. And he was working with the FBI, which made no sense at all. Or maybe it made perfect sense. The FBI weren't idiots – he knew that. After all, they'd found the security threads for the Canadian bills, even though they'd blown the vault in the process. No, the Feds have recruited Caffrey. 

They were on to him.

Hagen wiped his sweaty palms against his pants and went to greet his idol. And get him the hell out of the way.


	18. Eldorah asked for head canon for Satchmo

1 – Satchmo cried in his sleep for the first three weeks after his new mommy and daddy brought him to his "forever home". He cried and cried and cried and cried. He missed his litter mates. He missed his other mommy. His real mommy. Sometimes he still misses her.

2 – Satchmo loves the poodle next door. The really little one with the runny eyes and sharp teeth and stinky backside. He doesn't know why he feels the way he feels, but he just does.

3 – Satchmo doesn't mind when Mr. Neal turns into a cat. It's not like he stays that way. He's of an age where things don't bother him so much anymore.

* * *

It happened again. Just like that. One moment Mommy was talking with Mr. Neal and then she was standing there, with her hands on her hips and glaring at the big grey cat sitting on the kitchen counter.

The cat was okay. It smelled mostly like Mr. Neal. It didn't try to eat his food or drink his water. In fact, Mommy just turned on the faucet in the kitchen and let the cat drink right out of the sink. That was kind of a neat trick. He'd once tried to do that with the big bowl of water upstairs but it made him sick.

Anyway, the cat finished its drink and hopped down from the counter. It touched noses with him and made itself comfortable on one of the chairs. Satchmo went back to his bed and watched the cat. 

In a little while, it would become Mr. Neal again and that would be that.


	19. Turtlebaby_02 asked for head canon for Elizabeth

1 – Elizabeth trusts Peter with almost everything. She knows he won't cheat on her with another person – at least emotionally or physically. But she also knows that in the hierarchy of his life, the FBI will always come first.

2 – And she's okay with that. She exists independently of Peter. She has her own hopes and goals and dreams, too.

3 – The baby was kind of a shock. And for a very brief space of time, she thought about not telling Peter in case nature took its course. First trimesters are very tricky.

* * *

Elizabeth let herself into the house and Satchmo lumbered over, his tail wagging in as much doggy ecstasy as he ever displayed. He was such a placid dog, at least when she wasn't being kidnapped.

She reached for her coffee mug, about to pour what Peter had left brewing in the pot, when she remembered. Thank goodness she liked tea. Except that everything was still mostly packed. Peter had just taken out what he used – her tea was in one of the dozens of cartons stacked up in the living room, ready for their trip to nowhere.

Elizabeth kept thinking that she could turn around and go back to DC and wait just a few more weeks. Her pregnancy was at a very fragile stage, anything could happen. And if the worst did happen, and she'd never told Peter, who would know?


	20. Daria234 asked for head canon for Diana Berrigan

1 – Diana would take Christie back in a heartbeat. But Christie won't be back. She's returned to DC and is engaged to a member of Michelle Obama's senior staff.

2 – Diana doesn't make her own baby food (well, other than milk). Theo likes Gerber's strained peas and apple sauce just fine. 

3 – Diana doesn't envy Elizabeth. She knows that Peter's going to freak out every time she burps or breaks wind or has a bout of morning sickness. And it's going to be ten times worse when the baby comes. Either Peter's going to be smothering in his concern or way too wrapped up in the case du jour.

* * *

Her mother gave her one piece of very good advice. Theo will eat when he's hungry. He's a healthy baby and if Diana gives into his fussing, he'll become a finicky eater. 

Moz had given her the stink-eye when he saw the jars of -pre-made baby food in the cabinet and muttered his usual diatribe about the maternal-industrial complex. She told him that she'd be more than happy to feed Theo homemade organic mush, but she wasn't making it.

Two days later, Moz set up shop in her kitchen with bushels of organic produce and all of the tools necessary for canning baby food.

For a week, Diana dreaded going home to an apartment that smelled of every vegetable imaginable, all at once. But by Saturday, she had six months' worth of certified organic, certified fair-trade, certified cage-free and cruelty-free baby food.

Now only if Theo would actually eat the stuff.


	21. Sinfulslasher asked for head canon for Mozzie

1 – Mozzie envies Neal's looks (and especially his hair), but given the choice, he'd rather not BE Neal. It has to be hard being so beautiful all the time.

2 – He jokes about being a Machiavellian puppet master, but it's no joke. Julian Larsen wasn't the one who set the bomb off prematurely. Dennis Flynn, Jr. didn't kill Ellen Parker. Rachel Turner's decision to commit suicide by cop wasn't really her idea. Also, he's a major shareholder in Sterling-Bosche, and the right word in the right ear got Sara Ellis on a plane to London, permanently.

3 – There is only one thing that Mozzie fears more than being in The System. That's being alone.

* * *

He talks a good game when he chastises Neal about all the ties he's formed. Con men are supposed to be solitary creatures, with no ties to anyone or anything. You have to be able to leave on a moment's notice, to cut loose without regret. To be like the wind, or a leaf, or a flower. There one moment, then gone.

But he knows he's tied down so much worse than Neal. He thinks about his namesake, little Theo Berrigan. About Mrs. Suit and her impending bundle of joy. He worries about the Suit and all the trouble he could get into – he's got a child on the way and nothing's more important than being there, being a parent.

Mozzie all but weeps when he thinks about leaving. He wants his last great score, but he wants the world he's built for himself, too. He knows, though, that he can't have both.


	22. Piplj asked for head canon for Elizabeth Burke

1 – Elizabeth never told Peter about the fake driver's license and the underage drinking. She'd only told Peter about the streaking incident because they were drunk and he accused her of being a big chicken (about what, she doesn't remember).

2 – She never really dreamed of being a mother. She loved her life as it was and never felt like something was missing because she didn't have a child. But now that she's pregnant, she's almost blissfully happy.

3 – Except when she's worried about Peter. She's now sorry that she asked Neal to do whatever he could to save Peter's job. If she had just let things run their course (with an acquittal), Peter would have retired and taken some well-paying civilian job and she wouldn't be stressing out over whether he'd be coming home in time for doctor's appointments, or if he'd be coming home at all.

* * *

For four weeks, being pregnant seemed like nothing had changed other than her choice of beverages – no wine, very minimal caffeine, a glass of milk.

Even her body felt the same, well everything except her breasts. They were very sensitive and her nipples – well, let's not go there.

Then the morning sickness hit and everything that was wonderful was horrible. No matter how many saltines, how much ginger ale, she heaved into the pot for hours. Morning sickness was afternoon sickness was evening sickness. 

Peter stood by, hovering helplessly as she heaved her guts up. He held her head but the scent of his aftershave made the nausea worse and she screamed at him to get out.

She knew that this would pass. Her mom, her OB/GYN, all of her friends told her that the worse the morning sickness is, the healthier the baby. That was cold comfort when her knees were sore from kneeling in front of the porcelain god and her husband was cowering in the bedroom.


	23. Lov_PB asked for head canon for Garrett Fowler

1 – Garrett Fowler loved working in Violent Crimes, he loved being an FBI agent, he loved the pursuit of justice just slightly less than he loved his wife.

2 – Garrett Fowler despised what he was doing to Peter Burke. But he knew that if he didn't destroy that man's career and get the music box from Caffrey, he'd be spending the rest of his life in prison.

3 – Garrett Fowler almost decided not to wear that bullet proof vest, but he didn't trust the man pulling the strings. After Peter Burke shot him and all hell came raining down, he was sorry he wore the damn thing.

* * *

He was never going to be clean again, not even if no one ever found out what he'd done. He knew. The stains on his soul were never going to wash away.

Today, he'd attacked a man's career in the most despicable of ways – through his wife. He might have smiled through his broken and bloodied lip as he took Burke's badge and gun, but in truth, he was sickened by his actions.

Peter Burke was a good agent and a better man. Under different circumstances, they might have been friends.


End file.
